Daily artwork #347 // Pandora's box: Connection (Patreon)

Hey guys!

Today for something wholesome for a change! For dear Aksan, featuring the thane once again and once again accompanied by a short story to bring the art to life~!

I hope you enjoy <3

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Tiny, soft fingers wrapped around and squeezed The Thane’s own, drawing his attention. Turning, he saw the babe, Theo, at the limits of her mother’s loving arms to reach him. The young girl was trying to pull his limb to one side and he obliged, watching as her blue-green eyes stared at the scarring on his back. With a playful smile, he surged mana through the old markings, flaring their soft glow and blackening the scales at their edges as he inadvertently sent the little one back to her mother’s breast for support.

“It’s okay, The-The,” Tanja soothed the girl as she shook her head softly at the dragon, smiling even as she did. “The Thane would never hurt one of his own.”

“Of course not,” he rumbled, turning and kneeling to give over some of his height back to the young mother. “I didn’t mean to scare you, little Theo,” these soft words came with a gentle offering of the finger that she had grasped before, and soon it was being squeezed in the child’s hands.

“Mummy says burning yourself is bad!” Theo declared proudly.

“Your mummy is very right in that, I’m just silly because I don’t notice it anymore” rumbled the dragon as his eyes flicked up to Tanja’s, “Though I’m not sure what you could possibly do that would burn you.”

“Don’t go encouraging her,” The young woman urged, tiredly, “She hasn’t grown into that yet.”

“I’m going to be big and strong and tall, when I grow up!” announced young Theo, punching every word and giving a solid pull on his finger at the end to demonstrate her budding strength. Obviously, the draconic digit gave way after a faux protest and the child gave a wide and gappy grin. “Like Jonina!”

“Oh, setting your sights high with her,” purred the dragon, getting an intense nod that ended with Theo swaying a little dissily. “Jonina’s one of the strongest and tallest women I’ve ever met.”

Tanja bit her tongue and chuckled at the omission. “Got to work very hard if you want to be like Jonina when you grow up,” the young mother assured her child, stroking her short mop of silver-grey hair.

“Oh yes,” encouraged the immense dragon, “Got to listen to your mother and eat all your vegetables and crusts. I did and that’s how I grew up to be as big and strong as I am today.”

Tanja’s eyebrow shot up as Theo fixed The Thane in a suspicious gaze. “Liar!” Glowing purple eyes widened in mock horror and the girl’s mother sighed. “My mum said you came out of a rock. You didn’t grow up!”

Admitting defeat and nodding, the dragon smiled down at the child. “You caught me. But your mother is only half right.” The eyebrow shot up again. “I did emerge from a rock, so it wasn’t vegetables and crusts that made me big and strong. But,” he paused with a raised finger, trying not to chuckle as Theo went gently cross eyed from fixing on it, “I still had a lot of growing up to do.” Delicate fingers kneaded at his still captured digit. “But you’re going to be able to do so much better than me on that, and do you know why?”

Theo shook her little head slowly.

“Because you didn’t come from a rock,” The Thane began.

“I came from you!” interjected the young girl.

“And from your mother,” he continued in his well worn pedagogical tone, “And from a people, and a community. You’ve so many people around you, and they care about you and making sure you grow up into a fine young woman, and that you can live, and love, and be a positive part of our world. They’ll help you grow up following your passion, and doing good. I never had that, and it means so much to growing up right.”

Tanja shifted the babe in her arms to mop her eyes as she smiled. Theo had let go of the finger, furrowing her brows as she put her all into thinking, even her feet going limp as she focused. “So, people help me be big and strong and tall like Jonina?”

Sighing through a huge warm smile, delight and ozone poured from the dragon, causing a shudder in Tanja as she caught the scent. “Yes, your people will help you,” he stated emphatically, “And I will help you.”

“Will you help me go get lunch?” Theo asked sincerely, prompting chuckles from them both.

“I think that one’s for me to help with,” Tanja said, planting a kiss on her daughter’s head. “I guess we should . . .” The young mother trailed off as she gestured towards where Theo was already reaching.

With a gentle nod the towering dragon agreed, not yet rising though. His huge hand caught Tanja in the small of her back, drawing her close as Theo continued to eye food hungrily. Briefly his brow met hers, drawing fresh sparkles from her glittering eyes before they parted. “Enjoy your day,” he rumbled after them, getting a shaky but sincere nod from Tanja. Soon she let Theo down, only to find herself forced to chase after, towards the platters of food, under his calm, warm gaze.